High-velocity guided missiles are used for intercepting very fast moving objects on land, in the air or in space, such as ballistic rockets, or highly maneuverable objects. Such missiles use a seeker to detect and guide the missile to the intended object.
In many missile defense applications, target discrimination and designation (missile or interceptor targeting) is initially performed by a sensor located remote from the missile (e.g., radar) which must somehow relay one or more tracks to the missile's seeker in order to complete interceptor targeting. The process of relaying the designated targeted object(s) from the remote sensor to the seeker is referred to herein as “handover” or “object association.”
The handover process is complicated by measurement noises, differences in perspective (reference frame), and often differences in spectrum between the remote sensor and the seeker, especially when the target environment is dense with multiple objects (tracks).
Not all intercept geometries, however, are equal. Handover performance (i.e. the probability of correct object association) can be improved if the missile can be made to approach the dense complex of objects from an advantageous approach direction, one that exploits the characteristics of measurement noises, known geometries, and the density of the target environment.
Accordingly, a method and system are needed for determining an optimal missile intercept approach direction for maximizing probability of correct handover.